1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to insulated concrete form (ICF) window and door bucks and more specifically it relates to an insulated ICF window and door buck with integrated alignment, fastening, anchoring, and reinforcing elements.
2. Description of Related Art
Insulated concrete forms (ICF's) are used as the form work for constructing concrete walls. Typically ICF's use a pair of opposing parallel insulating panels either in a component (knock down) format or as one piece element/block with an open cavity between the panels for accepting the poured concrete. Typically the insulating panels are left in place after concrete placement thereby providing insulation for the finished wall. The ICF insulating panels have interior surfaces which face the cavity and exterior surfaces to the panels which wall finishes can be applied to. The insulating panels of the ICF's can be of various shapes and sizes with some interiors being flat, undulating or grooved with a wide array of ties or connectors holding the panels in place for concrete placement and finishing.
Openings in the concrete walls are typically formed in place prior to concrete placement with the use of a window or door buck frame which are typically left in place as a rough opening. Window and door bucks are typically made from flat lumber stocks being either treated or non-treated and supported within the opening by way of additional wall strapping which is removed after the concrete has cured. Another method for framing window and door bucks is to use an inset buck that fits into the wall form cavity and is held in place with either integrated grooves or with fasteners that penetrate the form work material into the buck frame material with the buck firmly secured in position inside the wall cavity. Another method for framing a window and door buck is to use a “flat stock material” shaped profile with integrated exterior strapping that holds the buck securely in place during concrete placement with the integrated strapping remaining permanently in place.
Existing buck materials and designs known in the art result in a variety of problems due to exterior fins (strapping) adding thickness to the overall wall width, having to fight that extra thickness around door and window openings during finishing and by having an exterior fin making it difficult to drain water to the exterior from the tops of the window and door openings. With the insulating buck solutions that have been invented the builder has difficulties in waterproofing the openings and in providing solid anchoring to the concrete wall core. Other short comings in the prior art is having to add components or additional labor around each buck for securely positioning reinforcement elements in the proper positions and also providing for additional anchoring to the concrete to keep the buck permanently in position and for supporting additional loads that can be applied to the buck frame.
As a result from the deficiencies and problems associated with the foregoing there is a need in the building construction art for a more reliable, dependable, and complete window and door buck solution for providing framed openings in poured concrete wall forms such as ICF's.